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I have to say, i'd never go to family and friends to help financially support a campaign. Why put them in an awkward situation? I know all the crowdfunding articles say - go to your family and friends, they'll go to their wider circle etc. this is in my opinion utter nonsense. The problem is, the moment you, in effect, ask friends and family to 'give' you money to support a dream of yours which, may or may not come to life you are now the same as all those other people who try MLM selling to friends and family - at best it's short lived, at worst you start losing friends. It is better to concentrate on the wider picture and keep friends and relatives out of it until you get your success!

We are launching our campaign within the next 10 days and it's going to be a lot of hard work!!

David TyeeMinnow the worlds first robotic fishing lure! now AVAILABLE to pre-order now via:Indiegogo On Demand:http://bit.ly/2qzwRjC

Family and friends will help from time to time, but you have to succeed based on the quality of your product or service. Kickstarters exist in the context of running a business. My friends and family may give me high preference when they want to buy art, but most people don't buy art regularly. And as much as they may like me, or even like my art, it usually doesn't fit with their home decor. I'm pleasantly surprised with friends or family want to buy something, through Kickstarter or otherwise. The same should hold true regardless of my product or service.

I think he makes a good point about family and friends. You should always look at it from the perspective of the potential backer. They might just not be interested in what you have to offer. I knew my family didn't want me to start any creative projects so I didn't even bother asking them. Instead I asked friends who i knew would be interested and supportive and they surprised me with their generosity.

I am curious about this whole donation parlay. Is this really a common thing? I never encountered it. I did encounter people trying to bribe you into using some sort of service or product in exchange for a pledge. Doesn't seem worth the trouble.

I can relate to your post, especially about family members! I launched my Kickstarter last week (see https://www.goo.gl/6JwwFv). So far some family members are really not as supportive as they said they would. It's a little disappointing, but oh well... I saw that you reached your fund raising goal. Congratulations!

I totally agree with you! Most of my friends and family have just gone radio silent since our campaign launched, while my in-laws are super supportive. It sucks cause it hurts your feelings but you can't say anything because you are the one asking the favor. But my closest friends are supportive which has been great!

I have to admit that I too have been disappointed at the responses that my campaign has received from friends and family. I'm an independent author and have self funded all of my books but one which went through a traditional publishing house. I'm surprised, not because I expected my close connections to pity me and give me money, but because people who have purchased all of my book and have pleaded with me to write a sequel have not pledged. Any insights in to this phenomena?